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PHILADELPHIA – After a solid performance at Heptagonal Championships two weeks ago, the University of Pennsylvania men’s cross country team is gearing up for the NCAA Cross Country Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships. This year’s event is being held on Lehigh’s Goodman Campus Cross Country Course on Friday. The men will kick things off with the 10K at noon and will be followed by the women’s 6K at 1:15 p.m.

At Heps, the Quakers finished sixth among the Ancient Eight teams. Leading the pack for the men was sophomore Thomas Awad, whose finish (third overall) was the best for a Quaker since Dave Merrick placed first in 1975. Next in for the Red and Blue and finishing under 25 minutes were sophomore Brendan Smith, freshman Brendan Shearn, and senior captains Conner Paez and Conor Nickel.

Out of the 39 teams in the region, Penn remains in the same slot, ninth, among the USTFCCCA regional rankings. Penn will once again see Ivy rival Princeton, as the Tigers are ranked first in the region and 15th nationally. Another familiar face the Red and Blue will see is the Villanova men, who are ranked second in the region and 20th nationally.

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships are one of nine races this weekend that will determine the field for the NCAA Championships. After the teams are in place, an additional 38 individuals per gender are selected to compete. From the teams not selected, the top four finishers at each regional are automatically selected.